Sometimes people wonder why New Jersey students appear to be more proficient in math and reading based on results from our state standardized tests (NJ Student Learning Assessments, or NJSLA) but less proficient based on national tests, specifically the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  

The answer is the NJ Department of Education grades on a curve.

According to a new analysis from FutureEd, NAEP proficiency levels require students to show “solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter.” But many states’ proficiency standards, including New Jersey’s,  “fall short of this benchmark,” with most cut scores aligned with what NAEP calls “basic,” which means students have shown only “partial” mastery of fundamental knowledge and skills.”

Let’s look at literacy numbers. (Note: NAEP’s tests are limited to 4th, 8th, and 12th graders although the Trump Administration just cancelled the scheduled 12th grade test. Here we’ll look at 4th and 8th grade scores.) 

• According to the DOE’s release this past December of statewide NJSLA proficiency rates, 51% of NJ fourth graders were proficient in reading. (Instead of “proficient,” NJ says “meeting or exceeding expectations.”)

• According to NAEP numbers issued last month, 38% of NJ fourth graders are proficient in reading. (NAEP uses the categories “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced.” For our purposes we’re comparing how many students “meet or exceed expectations” on NJSLA to how many students score proficient or advanced proficient on NAEP.)

• According to NJSLA, 52% of eighth graders meet goals in reading.

• According to NAEP, 38% of eighth graders meet goals in reading.

In other words, NJ’s state test results claim that 34% more students are prepared for the next grade compared to the national test often referred to as the “gold standard of assessments.”

There is one exception to the rule of lower standards on NJ state tests compared to NAEP: fourth grade math. In this case NJSLA’s proficiency levels correlate to NAEP’s. On NJSLA 45% of fourth graders were proficient in math; on NAEP 44% were proficient. 

Eighth grade math scores are not comparable because in NJ students take the test for the course they’re in: If they’re taking pre-algebra they’ll take the NJSLA eighth grade test but if they’re taking algebra they’ll take the NJSLA algebra test. According to 2024 results, 19% of NJ students were proficient in eighth grade math but stronger students would have taken the algebra test, for which 40% were proficient. On NAEP 37% of eighth graders were proficient. 

What can we make of this when comparing national test scores to state test scores? What accounts for the discrepancies? The answer is lower standards. This is what is driving the disconnect in NJ: We say a student has mastered core concepts when NAEP says they have only partial mastery. 

In fact, only six states map their proficiency levels to NAEP’s: Tennessee, Kansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island.

The higher state proficiency scores may make parents and educators feel better but they mask a reality that, a new non-profit called Wake Up Call NJ explains, confronts students once they leave high school. One out of four NJ graduates can’t pass the entrance exam to get into the army, 56% of NJ test-takers don’t demonstrate college readiness on the SATs, and more than 20,000 New Jersey students are placed into remedial education at two- and four-year colleges each year.

The reason for the cold slap of reality once students leave high school? According to FutureEd it is the fact that state standards “fall short” of the benchmark denoting true college and career-readiness.